The Global Health Security Index for African Countries, by Population

The Global Health Security Index for African Countries, by Population

We list the GHS Index for 22 of the most populous African nations.  The index goes from 0 to 100, where 100 would be complete capabilities to confront a pandemic.  Africa itself has a population of 1.329 billion people, which is 16.7% or 1/6 of the world’s population.

So far, Africa only has one COVID-19 case, which is in Egypt.  The new Importation Risk study published in the Lancet, estimates that there is only a 1% chance of the Coronavirus taking root in Africa.  Hopefully, travel restrictions, airport screenings, and African heat and/or humidity will prevent the Coronavirus from spreading in Africa.

The Chinese investment in Africa to 2018 was $300 billion.  In 2018, they promised another $60 billion in investment.  There are an estimated one million Chinese citizens in Africa.  An estimated 200,000 Africans work in China.  There are 82,000 African students in China.  China gets oil and raw materials from Africa.  It also invests in infrastructure and markets, helping develop African countries with Chinese state owned companies.

The Importation Risk mixes a Preparedness index (SNAP) with a Vulnerability Index (IDVI) and the air traffic from China into various African countries.  The Highest Risk countries are Egypt, Algeria, and South Africa.  The Moderate Risk countries are Nigeria and Ethiopia.  Six countries are in a third risk category:  Morocco, Sudan, Angola, Tanzania, Ghana, and Kenya.  Other African countries are below that.  For comparison, the highest GHS Index is the United States at 83.5 out of 100.

African Countries’ Global Health Security Index ordered by Population

The table shows the country’s world population ranking, the country, its population in millions, and the GHS Index.